The maximum electrostatic energy density that can be stored in polymer based film capacitors depends on the product of the total capacitance of the capacitor and the square of the maximum voltage that can be safely applied across the capacitor (its breakdown voltage). The higher the operational voltage of a capacitor, the greater the attainable energy storage capability because attainable energy densities of film capacitors increase as the square of the voltage applied across the capacitor. If overall breakdown strengths of films can be increased, then capacitors can be operated at higher voltages thereby increasing the electrostatic energy densities of the capacitors.
Polymers with high resistivity, high permittivity, low dissipation factors and high electric field breakdown strengths (Vb) have important applications as dielectrics in film capacitors. Since the capacitor industry is cost and performance driven, constantly increasing demands are made on materials to lower cost, and improve their reliability and performance. Polymer film capacitors have long been of interest because manufacturing technologies associated with extrusion or solution casting of polymer films can be readily combined with thin film metallization techniques to yield devices that are flexible, economical and that can be constructed into very large capacitors. Polymer films such as polycarbonate, polypropylene and polyester have been the insulating media of choice for fabrication of thin film electrostatic capacitors for operation in the kilovolt range.
One such capacitor which is widely known in this art is the wound capacitor. Wound capacitors are constructed by sandwiching a dielectric film such as polycarbonate, polypropylene or polyester film between metal foil sheets and then winding this material around a mandrel to form the capacitor. Generally, the width of the metal foil is less than that of the dielectric polymer strip, so that a margin is created around each of the sides, thereby acting as an apron to prevent flashovers. Specific examples of wound capacitors are found in the following U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,437, entitled, "Capacitor with Edge Coated Electrode," and issued to Shaw et al on Mar. 16, 1982; U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,539, entitled, "Hermetically Sealed Capacitor," and issued to Lavene on Jan. 12, 1988; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,026, entitled, "Capacitor Forming and Manufacturing Method," and issued to Lavene on Aug. 4, 1987. Other capacitors, such as disk capacitors, are also well known to those skilled in the art.